I'm scared to go out after thug's bus assault

A THUG punched and head- butted a disabled man on a busy city bus after the victim shouted back when he taunted him.

Ex-convict Ian Brown left father-of-one Steven Davidson battered and bloodied after chasing after the bus on which he was travelling to attack him.

Mr Davidson's partner Susan Wright said today that Brown – who was previously jailed for assault and robbery – had picked on him for years after singling him out "because of his learning difficulties". The couple called for him to be jailed.

Mr Davidson, 42, was heading to a training session with his special needs football team when he was attacked on the number 26 bus on Portobello High Street.

He said: "I was on the bus and Ian Brown was coming out of a shop with a paper. He started shouting at me and calling me names. I shouted back, "I'm not, you are".

"Then he got into his car and drove after the bus to the next stop. He came up to me and said, "What did you say?", then he head-butted me in the face. My nose was bleeding then he started punching me too. I knew I couldn't do anything so I waited for him to stop."

Mr Davidson, who suffered brain damage from birth after being starved of oxygen in the womb, added: "I think he's a very dangerous person and he shouldn't be allowed to do it again to someone else.

"He should be put behind bars for what he did to me. Picking on me was very cowardly."

Brown, 52, pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday to head-butting and punching Mr Davidson in the face.

He faces the threat of jail again after being sentenced to five years in 1980 for assault and robbery.

Mr Davidson, who lives with Ms Wright, 32, and their six-year-old daughter, Chelsea, suffered a burst nose in the attack, as well as a cut to his eye and scratches.

The bus driver called the police following the attack at around 4:30pm on 13 May last year. Brown, of Milton Street, Abbeyhill, was arrested by officers.

Ms Wright said: "Ian Brown knew who Steven was, because they lived in the same area, and that he was a vulnerable person. Brown is someone who picks on the weak because he doesn't want them to fight back. He was always picking on Steven because of his learning difficulties.

"The whole thing has been very stressful for Steven. He's more afraid to go out on his own now.

"Brown deserves a jail sentence for what he did to Steven, and to protect other vulnerable people."

Brown's defence solicitor, Graeme Clark said his client had "lost his temper" after Mr Davidson shouted at him. But Sheriff Kathrine Mackie said: "The accused has not acted in the heat of the moment by having to chase after the bus before boarding it. It seems a very deliberate act."

Patricia Letford, 52, of Rathbone Place, Portobello, who was also charged with assaulting Mr Davidson, had her not guilty plea accepted in court yesterday.

Sentence on Brown was deferred until 12 March for reports.